WBC Met By 300 Patriotic Bikers in Joplin

http://www.politicususa.com/en/bikers-westboro-baptist

The SPLC describes the Westboro Baptist Church as, “Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is arguably the most obnoxious and rabid hate group in America. The group is basically a family-based cult of personality built around its patriarch, Fred Phelps. Typified by its slogan, “God Hates Fags,” WBC is known for its harsh anti-gay beliefs and the crude signs its members carry at their frequent protests. WBC’s theology is “Primitive Baptist,” a doctrine that holds that God chooses a few elect humans to save, but will send everybody else to hell.”
Bikers are tough and many are also very patriotic. These 300 bikers were not about to let WBC ruin the Joplin memorial. Once some bikers and truckers got word that Westboro Baptist was coming into town, they converged in Joplin yesterday, and pinned down the hate cult until the memorial was over.
The last thing the people of Joplin needed was the WBC, and some great Americans made sure that Joplin got their moment of mourning and healing.
Patriotism doesn’t have a look, race, gender, or partisan affiliation, and the story out of Joplin proves once again that you should never judge a book by its cover.
When the people of Joplin needed help, 300 bikers were there. In my mind anyone who challenges the hate of WBC qualifies as a patriot.

Counter-Protesters at Arlington Shout Down WBC

Members of Westboro Baptist Church were challenged by an off shoot branch of the KKK at Arlington National Cemetery during Memorial Day ceremonies.  There was a group of nearly 70 counter-protesters nearby-and only 3 from WBC.

Some of the counter-protesters, including Malaika Elias, stood in front of the Westboro participants in an attempt to block them from street view.

"I think they're twisted and confused, and we're just here to show them there are people who think they're completely wrong," Elias said.

Many passersby shouted their thanks to the counter-protesters as they entered the cemetery on foot and in vehicles.

Abigale Phelps was quoted in the CNN article which I've provided a link to that "The Bible doesn't say anywhere that it's an abomination to be born of a certain gender or race."

Exactly. So WHY is Westboro basing all of their rhetoric on being anti-gay ? Maybe it was a Freudian slip on her part, but didn't Ms. Phelps just shoot a rather large hole in her father's argument?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/30/arlington.cemetery.protesters/index.html

Memorial Day 2011

 

I snagged this off the Llewellyn Worldwide FB page because it pretty much says it  all:

 For our U.S. fans, this Memorial Day, instead of mourning those we have lost, let's celebrate their lives and honor their memories. Stay safe! Love and blessings to you all!

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." ~ General George S. Patton

Stand serenely and strongly for your convictions and work tirelessly for peace

~ Kate

Comedian Lisa Lampanelli Humiliates WBC With Donation to Gay Charity in Their Name.

Comedian Lisa Lampanelli, has donated $50,000 to a gay AIDS charity in the name of the Westboro Baptist Church, much to their chagrin. Lampanelli, well known for her pro-gay rights standing is branded a “fag enabler” by the Westboro Baptist Church. She told journalists that she would donate $1,000 to the Gay Men's Health Crisis charity for every member of the church who attended a protest against her show in Topeka, Kansas and made good on that promise, and even threw in $2000 extra to round out the amount.

I'm sure this type of "kindness" simply kills WBC. I say, whatever it takes.

~Kate









Disclaimer: Video that accompanies article contains sexually explicit content.





http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/05/24/video-god-hates-fags-demo-leads-to-50000-donation-to-gay-aids-charity/

WBC's Anti-Semetic and Racist Remarks Still Shock

From  http://www.godhatesfags.com

 

***Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC    May 22, 2011  8:30 AM - 10:30 AM***

WBC to picket Antichrist Beast Obama speaking at the AIPAC Policy Conference.  Wow!  How could you get any better than this?!  Antichrist Obama and a whole lot of jews in the same place.  We can't make this stuff up! 
Beast Obama has a lot in common with the jews.  Both of them love sin, murder, and sodomy, not to mention they both hate God.  They are both merciless, full of cruelty and deceit.  Obama is a strong advocate for the fags and the "orthodox" jews brag about becoming mainstream and fag-heavy.  Obama loves abortion and rabbis rape kids!  You flip off God daily!  These grievous proud sins of the people call for great wrath from God the Judge & Avenger.  Doom, destruction, and lamentation is imminent.  It is time to mourn for your sins; come out from among that filth and obey your God!  You will not be acquited for your sins!
The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked.  Nahum 1:3
God hates Beast Obama and the Christ-rejecting Jews!  Obey or Perish!

 

After having dealt with the shenanigans of  Westboro Baptist Church personally, I can honestly say that nothing they say or do surprises me...But to see their anti-Semitic and racist remarks in print is quite another experience. They are blatantly shocking because they are tossed off in such a gleeful, cavalier manner as if it were factual, which it most certainly isn't. It's meant to be inflammatory and derogatory and taunting, and it is.

 

I find it amusing that if you treat WBC in the same manner, they have a knee-jerk, cry baby reaction and run to file a lawsuit. "Boo hoo, you were mean to us! We're God-loving and obedient! We're just doing what God tells us!" 

 

The problem is, God has already told them in so many words to simply shut up:

King James Bible
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

New International Version (©1984)
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.

 But they can't do it! They can't do God's Will because they're too busy willfully doing the bidding of their leadership. Instead of spreading the legitimate Word of God as  taken directly from the Bible-which many good people do, even those who aren't considered Christians or consider themselves especially religious- they choose to spread their own interpretation which is filled with hate and bigotry. Instead of helping others live lives of dignity and honor, they seek to take that away. But why?

And I see no redeeming features in their actions of what the Bible declares as the work of the Church according to these words of Jesus.None whatsoever! I'm including them here only so you don't think this is my personal interpretation and can read it for yourselves...

The Gospel according to Matthew 25, beginning at the 35th verse reads:

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

   ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

   ⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

   ⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

 

So you decide-is the message of Westboro Baptist Church really the Will of God?

 ~Kate

Dear Westboro (time for a joke)

Dear Westboro:

We have a funeral for you to protest. 
The funeral location is somewhere over the Arabia Sea.
We'll be more than happy to help you pack, transport you there and DROP you off.

Signed,
America

COMMUNITY UPDATES AS OF 5/10/11

New dates for WBC pickets, including military funerals have been posted.

***Looks like Savannah, GA is their target later in the month-many high schools and churches listed. Please go out and build the Wall of Peace responsibly!***


The WBC sites are back up on the web and running. As they post dates, we'll let you know. Special Thanks to the Patriot Guard Riders for their assistance with dates and keeping the Wall of Peace firmly in place...You don't have to own or ride a motorcycle to be a member of PGR . Visit their website for more information.

Dancing on the Grave of the Enemy

This is Starhawk's latest blog from the On Faith Site from the Washington Post. I thought it was timely. Sorry I've been absent, but life has been imitating art lately.

~Kate

.http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/starhawk/

Dancing on the grave of the enemy--a human impulse, perhaps, but not one that we want to encourage if our spirituality is rooted in interconnection and compassion. Death is one aspect of the Goddess, but death in service of the regeneration of life.
Rather than rejoice, we might feel sorrow and grief--not that Osama bin Laden is dead, but that his death cannot bring back those who lost their lives in the attacks on 9-11 a decade ago, nor the hundreds of thousands who have died since. Not the lives of the young people who served in our military, nor those who perished in our attacks on Iraq and our continuing war in Afghanistan. Not the lives of the guilty who instigated violence nor the lives of the innocent who were simply its victims. His death cannot restore the limbs of the wounded nor the years lost for those wrongly imprisoned. His death cannot heal the scars of the tortured. Not Osama himself, but our own choices in response to his acts have eroded our own freedoms and undermined our commitment to justice.
We're Americans--we love underdogs but despise losers. Now, we've 'won'. Now it's time to leave the battlefield on that note of triumph and turn our attention and our resources to the needs here at home and the needs of the planet we live on. All over the Middle East, we see movements rising that reject dictators and the rule of fanatics and long for democracy. We'd best move quickly to knit up the shredded fabric of our own if we hope to serve as an example. Then, out of this saga of death and revenge, we may yet find some small measure of hope and regeneration.

By Starhawk  |  May 4, 2011; 6:59 PM ET  |

A Petition Against Westboro

This is Very interesting :

A petition has been launched for dis-barring the practicing lawyers within the Westboro clan.

http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43822.html

WHY?

WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH TO PICKET THE ROYAL WEDDING OF PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE MIDDLETON Friday, April 29, 2011, from 7:00-8:15 a.m. Westminster Abbey, 20 Dean's Yard, London, UK 

The reason for them to picket the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton escapes me. Oh, that's right...they haven't been getting enough attention lately! So what better way to get this than to gain an international audience by acting like " Ugly Americans". Maybe the free speech WBC enjoys here in the United States won't extend to England...or maybe they'll be totally ignored by an international audience, and the camera won't be pointed their way, in which case they have" Plan B"...to incite the wrath of the public here at home while picketing the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor at the Kennedy Space Center  because Rep. Gabby Giffords husband will be among the crew... 

WBC TO PICKET REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS SEEING HER HUSBAND OFF AT THE LAUNCH OF SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER VISITOR COMPLEX (STATE ROAD 405, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL) ON FRIDAY, APRIL 29, FROM 10AM - 4PM--- 

As always, we here at Wall of Peace are encouraging those who will be going out to stand between WBC and chosen their target to be respectful and calm.

~Kate 

With A Little Help From His Friends...

USMC Staff Sgt. Jason Rogers was buried in Mississippi last week. The folks in Brandon didn't take kindly to the hi jinks of WBC in their town. Read the story and see the videos here:

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2011/04/westboro-baptists-defeated.html#more

Let's just say the reps from WBC were disappointed they didn't get to the funeral. Life's just full of obstacles sometimes.

Happy Holidays

For our friends who celebrate Easter, may your weekend be blessed...For our friends celebrating Passover, continued health and happiness!

His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?" (Jesus said,) "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'here it is' or 'there it is.' Rather, the kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."~ Thomas 113.

Artist Creates Painting of WBC Leaders to Benefit Charities

Artist Scott LoBaidohas created a satirical painting of Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper, which he's hoping to auction off on eBay to benefit Homes for Heroes -- an organization that helps veterans find housing -- and Community Health Action of Staten Island. He parked his truck across the street from Westboro Baptist Church's main building in Kansas and blasted them with Lady Gaga's music. I doubt they were amused. For his efforts, he was cited for playing loud music and being too close to their property....ahem, excuse me? Want to run that one by us again?

If you're familiar with his work, you might be interested in bidding. There's a photo of the painting with the story. I didn't post a photo of the painting because it may be offensive to some of our readers-it is a bit on the mean-spirited side. On the other hand......

~Kate


The link to the story is below. 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/04/new-york-artist-satirizes-westboro-baptist-church.html

"Too Often Hatred Speaks Out While Love Watches Silently."

"Too often hatred speaks out while love watches silently."

----->We must do something about that. While I try to figure out my responsibility in this dilemma, I know one thing for sure: hatred will never lead anyone to faith in God.<-----

What should our responsibility be, if any, to the hateful protests in the name of Christianity?

 http://www.maurilioamorim.com/2011/04/you-cannot-hate-people-into-heaven/

I picked this up on the Maurilio Amorim website. It's a concise, emotionally satisfying article about how the author attempted to engage a young member of WBC in conversation about her beliefs as learned through the teachings of Westboro Baptist Church...and failed.

Or did he?

Good article well worth your time to read.Our efforts are not on vain.Our feelings are shared by many.

~Kate


The answer is to stand for your own convictions against these bullies. When they showed up in North Carolina to picket the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards, bringing their hatred and misplaced bigotry with them, there was a huge crowd of counter-protesters who showed up to stand between them and the church where the service was being held...so the Edwards family never heard them taunting and mocking thier loved one and they were permitted to grieve and honor their loved one with dignity. No one engaged them, and no one shouted back in anger...and they couldn't stand that they made fools of themselves, so they left before the service was over. It's sickening that they bring along minor children to these 'hate fests', shove them to the front of the line and force them to participate in this destructive behavior. It may be free speech, but it's also putting lies into the mouth of God

WBC Military Funeral Picket Schedule and More

Everyone has their own definition of evil. Westboro Baptist Church is reveling in the deaths of this hard hit in the swath of tornadoes that stretched from Oklahoma to Virginia the other night. The bulk of those deaths happened in my home state of North Carolina and included several small children.

If WBC chooses to 'favor' us  with another visit-and I figure it will only be a matter of time- I'm just letting them know in advance that the good people of North Carolina will turnout by the hundreds like we did the last time to greet them...only this time, there will be even MORE of us, and we'll send them back to where they came from with their tails between their legs again.

> Oh, and hiding behind your kids was really tacky<.
 ~ Kate



Here are some of the military funerals from the list :

 *** Cpl Justin D. Ross is to be buried in the hallowed ground of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) on 20 April 2011 1130 hrs Murphy's Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, Va.***

***Memorial of Lt. Matthew Ira Lowe Thurs., Apr. 21, at 11:15 a.m. Calvary Chapel 2401 West Cypress Creek Rd., Fort Lauderdale, FL***

***Pvt. Brent M. Maher, Fri April 22, 9:15 a.m., Thoman Jefferson HIgh School, 2501 West Broadway, Council Bluffs, IA***

***Pvt. Brent M. Maher, Fri April 22, 9:15 a.m., Thoman Jefferson HIgh School, 2501 West Broadway, Council Bluffs, IA******Staff Sgt. Quadi S.Hudgins, April 29, 10:15 a.m. Arlington National Cemetery***

They're Baaaaaaaack........New Picket Schedule for WBC

 

 

It was nice (?) while it lasted, but the WBC sites are up and running again tonight, so here's the updates for today....Just in time for Palm Sunday (sigh).

~Kate 

 

Memorial of Lt. Matthew Ira Lowe Thurs., Apr. 21, at 11:15 a.m. Calvary Chapel 2401 West Cypress Creek Rd., Fort Lauderdale, FL

 

Memorial of Lt. Nathan Hollingsworth Mon., Apr. 18, at 9:15 a.m. State University of New York Sheldon Hall, Oswego, NY

 

WBC WILL PICKET  DR. PHILLIPS HIGH SCHOOL (6500 TURKEY LAKE ROAD, ORLANDO, FL) ON FRIDAY, APRIL 29, FROM 6:50 - 7:20 AM

 

WBC TO PICKET REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS SEEING HER HUSBAND OFF AT THE LAUNCH OF SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER VISITOR COMPLEX (STATE ROAD 405, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL) ON FRIDAY, APRIL 29, FROM 10AM - 4PM

 

WBC WILL PICKET  BISHOP MOORE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL (3901 EDGEWATER DRIVE, ORLANDO, FL) ON TUESDAY, APRIL 19, FROM 3:00 – 3:30 PMWBC WILL PICKET ISLAMIC CENTER OF ORLANDO (11543 RUBY LAKE ROAD, ORLANDO, FL) ON TUESDAY, APRIL 19, FROM 1:00 – 1:30 PM

A Few Words About Sending Us Links

People send links in to us that they think have WBC's schedule in them on good faith, but a few of those links-particularly the ones from Twitter-have turned out to be virused. I caught this a few weeks back with links that would not open, etc. I ended up having to have the entire hard drive of the computer I'm using purged. My tech support person tells me that the tagging virus currently rampant on Facebook is a direct result of Twitter originating viruses, and that changing your pass word helps stop it.

So, until notice further notice,  don't send us links, please.....We have a reliable source for dates when they are available. If you send in something and Sabrina or I don't post it, don't be offended, we're just trying to be proactive and stop this thing before it really gets out of hand.

~Kate

Is WBC A Cult?

Sociologists looks for patterns in human behavior and in social institutions where a profile of pastoral and spiritual abuse will emerge. Abusive churches, past and present, are first and foremost characterized by strong, control-oriented leadership. These leaders use guilt, fear, and intimidation to manipulate members and keep them in line. Followers are led to think that there is no other church quite like theirs and that God has singled them out for special purposes. Other, more traditional evangelical churches are put down. Subjective experience is emphasized and dissent is discouraged. Many areas of member's lives are subject to scrutiny. Rules and legalism abound. People who don't follow rules or who threaten exposure are often dealt with harshly. Excommunication is common. For those who leave, the road back to normalcy is difficult.

Source: Churches That Abuse, by Ronald Enroth.

A cult of Christianity is defined as...

...a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible.

Source: Alam Gomes, Cult: A Theological Definition, excerpt from "Unmasking The Cults"

One Nation Indivisible

I thought this was a good article about the Pledge of Allegiance because it's written from a little different perspective. Yes, everyone gets to pledge allegiance to the United States whether or not they choose to use the phrase under God or to omit it-the original didn't contain the phrase. You even get to not pledge if you choose for religious or other reasons. That's what free speech is all about. That's what the gang at Westboro Baptist Church doesn't get. You get to have your opinions, but you don't get to act on them if the result of those beliefs are hateful or hurtful to another. It's not only a question of values and morals but one of ethics as well. And it's most definitely a question of conscious.

About the schedule: we haven't received anything from our source, but we're expecting to shortly. Please don't send links to Shirley or Meghan Phelps' Twitter accounts, or Google Docs, because frankly, neither Sabrina nor I have time to search through all the extraneous junk WBC posts. We also been sent a couple of links that haven't opened, or that hasn't passed the virus scan. When we receive something from a legitimate source, we'll post it. Sorry for the delay.


http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/contemporaryissues/a/PledgeOfAllegiance.htm

Remembering Martin Luther King

In one of these linked articles I read that Martin Luther King, Jr. has now been dead more years than he was alive...It is amazing to me how much time has passed since this fateful day 43 years ago. I was still in elementary school when our social studies teacher made the announcement; our class had watched a filmstrip about Dr. King that afternoon and sang, "We Shall Overcome"  at the end. This was the shocking news broadcast that evening.. Dr. King was a man just like any other man but distinguished himself like no other. I wonder what he would have to say about the bigotry being spread by Westboro?
~Kate

http://www.kinginstitute.info/

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/special/mlk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.

Westboro Baptist Church to 'Quadruple' Funeral Protests After Ruling

 " God Hates You"...I really wish these people would stop lying. Bad enough they spread their special brand of bigotry throughout the country without telling out right lies about God. This is a story that appeared on ABC earlier this month-go to the link and watch the video... and "God Hates You" isn't the only lie they've told recently: they said they would 'quadruple' their protests, and they haven't. In fact, they haven't much of anywhere...because they're falling apart at the seems. Cults like this eventually implode when they see that their warped message is being rejected by the public..."God Hates You" is a lie. And not only do I believe it's a lie, it's an insult to the God who those of us who are spiritual believes created us with a bit of Himself within us.
~ Kate


By DEVIN DWYER
ABC News 

Leaders of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church today vowed to "quadruple" the number of protests at military funerals around the country following a Supreme Court ruling that the displays are protected under the First Amendment.

We are trying to warn you to flee the wrath of God, flee the wrath of destruction. What would be more kind than that," a fiery Margie J. Phelps, the lead legal counsel for the church and daughter of pastor Fred Phelps, told reporters. "We have not slowed down and we will not."

Phelps and other members of the Topeka, Kan., church have picketed outside many military funerals holding signs with offensive messages such as "God Hates You" and "God Hates Fags." The church believes military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are God's punishment for U.S. tolerance of homosexuality and a sign the nation's destruction is imminent.

Albert Snyder, whose son Matthew was killed in Iraq in 2006, sued the Church after members loudly protested at his funeral. Snyder's suit argued that the demonstrations inflicted intentional emotional harm and should be prohibited. The Supreme Court disagreed.

"Shut up all that talk about infliction of emotional distress," Phelps said of Snyder's claim after the decision was handed down. "When you're standing there with your young child's body bits and pieces in a coffin you've been dealt some emotional distress by the Lord your God."


An eight-justice majority on the Court ruled that the protests, while hurtful, were permissible under the Constitution. One justice, Samuel Alito, dissented from the majority saying the "vicious verbal assault" imposed "great injury" to Snyder.

"He simply didn't follow his oath, he'll have to take that up with God," Phelps said of Alito. "I very much appreciate the fact that I get to be the mouth of God in this matter."



First Amendment advocates hailed the court for separating the emotionally charged nature of Westboro's message with the fundamental right to free expression."This is a historic first amendment case," said constitutional lawyer Cliff Sloan. "This is the kind of case that is going to have an influence for generations. It is the Supreme Court standing up and giving constitutional protection to extremely unpopular speech. It's really what the first amendment is all about."

American Civil Liberties Union legal director Steve Shapiro said the court rightfully and respectfully acknowledged the Snyder family's grief. "But it correctly holds that the response to that grief cannot include the abandonment of core First Amendment principles designed to protect even the most unpopular speech on matters of public concern," he said.

A coalition of military families, including those who've lost loved ones in the line of duty, and their supporters passionately disagreed."This court has no problem with the government sending our children over to these wars, send them back in a body bag and not even have enough respect for that dead soldier to be buried peacefully," Albert Snyder told reporters today. "Right now, with this opinion, it's everything goes. It's nothing stopping Westboro from going to your daughter's wedding because they think the Catholic Church is bad. And these justices, they don't have to worry about this because the Westboro church and any other nut job like this will not get near their family or their funeral," he said. "They don't have to worry about it. It's us that have to worry about it."

John Ellsworth, whose son was killed in Iraq and heads the group Military Families United, said the court's decision is ironic since the church members are exercising a right that military service members are fighting and dying to protect . "Military families deserve the respect of a grateful nation, not hate from a group who chooses to demonstrate during the funeral of their loved one," he said.


Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who's been an outspoken advocate for military families, said in a twitter message that "common sense and decency absent" in the ruling, which allows a "wacko 'church'" to spew hate messages.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Supreme_Court/westboro-baptist-church-quadruple-military-funeral-protests-supreme/story?id=13039045

Jane Velez-Mitchell:Westboro Church: Who are these people?

Jane Velez-Mitchell hosts "ISSUES with Jane Velez-Mitchell," a topical event-driven show with a wide range of viewpoints that airs every night at 7 ET on HLN.

 http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/03/25/velez.mitchell.westboro/index.html


"According to Nate, the demonstrators are family members who didn't rebel and get away from the family patriarch, but rather remained in the controversial fold, spending decades on the receiving end of what they call discipline and Nate calls abuse.

Says Nate: "It's nine of my 12 siblings and their extended family. I think there's one other family with, I understand, three or four members. And, other than that, it's all related."

The obvious question is: Are these family members exercising their own free will in inflicting their bigoted views during these protests, or could they be exhibiting the effects of lifelong conditioning? They were told to obey the word of a man who purports to know the will of God while not sparing the rod.

The bigger question is: Why is Pastor Phelps so obsessed with what other people are doing behind the closed doors of their bedrooms? Given that he is so judgmental, doesn't that -- in turn -- give us the right to ask for an answer to the question: "Hey, what's happening behind your own closed doors, Pastor Phelps?"

New Dates Added To The Schedule

We encourage peaceful counter protest if and when you do go. It's too easy to be goaded to wallow in the gutter with these people-in fact, that's exactly what they want. They want you to loose your cool and shout back so they can point at other's behavior...Don't do it. Just remember that dignity is the best response.
~Kate

WBC Founder Fred Phelp's Son Is A Public Speaker on Abuse and LBGT Advocate

Nate Phelps is the son of Pastor Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church, which gained infamy from their protests at soldiers’ funerals around the United States. He is the seventh of thirteen children, and was taught his father’s extreme version of Calvinism from an early age. This was accompanied by extreme physical punishments and abuse, extreme dietary and health requirements, and other extreme expectations. Nate left home at midnight on his eighteenth birthday, and moved to California where he built a new life away from his family. He later moved to Canada, and only recently began speaking out about his story after a chance encounter with a reporter while driving a cab in Cranbrook, British Columbia. Nate has now spoken about his story to many groups around North America, and even returned home to Topeka in 2010 to tell his story to the people in his hometown. Today Nate lives in Calgary, Alberta and works for the Center For Inquiry. He is a vocal LGBT advocate, and speaks out against the dangers of religion and child abuse.
He is currently working on a book which covers his exceptional story, and is the subject of an upcoming documentary film.( excerpt from his website)

I hope you caught Nate on the Joy Behar show today!
http://joybehar.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/24/robin-meade-a-country-star/


An excerpt from Nate's book about the night he left Fred Phelp's abusive home:
http://natephelps.com/story

 If you're in the area, Nate is speaking here:

Saturday, May 7, 2011 @ 1:30 PM
Imagine No Religion
Kamloops Center for Rational Thought
Kamloops Convention Centre
 www.natephelps.com


Nate Phelp's blog referencing the Supreme Court decision about WBC and freedom of speech:
http://n8rphelps.blogspot.com/

~Kate
/

WBC MISSES ELIZABETH TAYLOR'S FUNERAL...THEY FORGOT SHE WAS JEWISH

I guess they didn't teach Rev. Fred Phelps that Jewish law requires that an adherent be buried no longer than  48 hours after death in whatever Bible college/school of theology he attended. Elizabeth Taylor was buried before WBC could mobilize ( trying not to enjoy this little twist of fate-or faith- too much, but ...I guess the only laws their family of lawyers are ignorant of  are God's laws, LOL)~ Kate


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/03/elizabeth-taylors-family-arrives-at-forest-lawn.html

 Video footage and article about funeral service:
http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=637389&gt1=28102

This story has good over all detail of the funeral, and mentions thaat actor Collin Ferrel read the poem
" The Leaden Echo and the Golden Ech" during the serive.
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/usmovies.accesshollywood.com/updated-elizabeth-taylor-laid-rest-near-michael-jackson-forest-lawn-cemetary-glendale

Sir Richard Burton reading "The Leaden Echo and The Golden Echo"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjdaBTE7VBY

Westboro Lies About Picket Schedules

A story from 3 years ago- I said as much before On the former Wall of Peace. There is simply no way they could have ever kept up with the expense because there aren't very many of them in the group who actually go out and picket...that's why they take their kids along, so they can claim a few more warm bodies and artificially inflate their numbers.~Kate

This an excerpt from journalist Dan Weaver on Associated Content: "On Oct. 3, 2007, Mike Sangiacomo of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, asked Shirley, "How often do you show up at places you say you will be? I've looked for you at several in Ohio and you were not there and followed-up another half-dozen where you said you would be and you were not. I'd appreciate a list of actual appearances in the last few months, as opposed to scheduled ones. Thanks

Shirley Phelps-Roper's response was anything but honest, not to mention rude, referring to Mr. Sangiacomo as Angry Michael, even though there is no anger in his letter. It was obfuscation at its best, better than most politicians. She claimed that because Mr. Sangiacomo was thinking about Westboro Baptist Church coming to Ohio, they were actually there. In other words, their presence in Mr. Sangiacomo's thoughts fulfilled Westboro Baptist Church's promise to go to Ohio, even though they did not go when they said they would. If that isn't lying, I don't know what is."http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1857239/god_hates_liars_westboro_baptist_church.html

Mr. Weaver does on-going research on WBC. Here's a link to another good article:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1509646/best_sources_for_understanding_rev.html?cat=9

The Rick Ross Institute is the best resource I have found concerning WBC because he is an expert of cults and hate groups. If you ever get the opportunity to go to a workshop or training presented by him GO...it's worth every cent.
http://rickross.com/

~Kate

most politicians. She claimed that because Mr. Sangiacomo was thinking about Westboro Baptist Church coming to Ohio, they were actually there. In other words, their presence in Mr. Sangiacomo's thoughts fulfilled Westboro Baptist Church's promise to go to Ohio, even though they did not go when they said they would. If that isn't lying, I don't know what is.

Westboro To Picket Elizabeth Taylor's Funeral

http://news.wooeb.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=709799&cat=2



Since she worked tirelessly on raising funds for AIDS research!

*sigh*
Sabrina

"The Westboro Baptist Church has become infamous for picketing the funerals of U.S. soldiers and carrying signs that state "God hates fags." In typical fashion Margie J. Phelps, daughter of the church's leader Fred Phelps, said Taylor "joined Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger in hell."
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/23/westboro-baptist-church-to-picket-actress-elizabeth-taylors-funeral/

~Kate

Excerpts From The Jewish Anti-Defamation League On WBC

Good background information on WBC. Educate yourself before going out to form the Wall of Peace Against Westboro Baptist Church!~ Kate


Rev. Fred Phelps

 Westboro Baptist Church :

A publicity-hungry group

---

The primary goal of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), led by Fred Phelps, appears to be garnering publicity for itself and its message. For this reason, the group directs its efforts at events that have attracted heavy news coverage, like the deaths of soldiers killed in wars or the victims of well-publicized accidents, or at venues, such as high schools, which are likely to generate large counter-protests and community outrage. Many of its protests are held in response to events that have generated at least local media coverage, as in an April 2009 protest of the staging of the musical “Rent” at a high school in Newport Beach, California, which had been the subject of local controversy. The group also announces plans to picket at locations abroad (many in locations WBC is not likely to be to travel to, such as Sri Lanka, or cannot travel to, such as Great Britain, where the government has formally banned members of the group from entering) in the hopes of generating foreign press coverage.



Shirley Phelps Roper

 To create further attention, the group produces music videos with titles like “God Hates the World” or “Santa Claus Will Take You to Hell” and maintains Web sites with names like GodHatesAmerica and GodHatesFags, all designed to inflame the passions of viewers. One of these Web sites includes a “media room,” with links to “broadcast quality resolution video files of our picketing ministry.”

In a telling comment, after Shirley Phelps-Roper, a leader of the WBC, had screened a documentary about the group in her home prior to its debut on Showtime in December 2007, she said, “The content was good. Anytime we get the word out there that we are a doomed country - a doomed generation it's a good thing.” Every mention of WBC in the media is considered a victory by the group.

Fred Phelps Disbarred

Trained as a lawyer, Fred Phelps, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church, was disbarred in 1979 by the Kansas Supreme Court, which asserted that he had “little regard for the ethics of his profession.” The formal complaint against Phelps charged that he misrepresented the truth in a motion for a new trial in a case he had brought, and that he held the defendant in the case up to “unnecessary public ridicule for which there is no basis in fact.” Following his disbarment from Kansas State courts, Phelps continued to practice law in Federal courts. In 1985, nine Federal court judges filed a disciplinary complaint charging him and six of his family members, all attorneys, with making false accusations against them. The Phelps family fought the complaint but lost and, in 1989, Fred Phelps agreed to not practice law in Federal court in exchange for the Federal judges allowing the other members of his family to continue practicing in Federal court.

Pickets inspire legislation and legal action

Since 2005, at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) members carry placards with sayings like “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” and “Thank God for IEDs [improvised explosive devices]” while shouting epithets at mourners.
The group quickly gained national media attention for the practice and, to date, 41 states and the federal government have enacted legislation that attempts to limit it. The constitutionality of these laws, on both freedom of speech and freedom of religion grounds, has been challenged in four states, with mixed results. In March 2007, a federal court in Ohio upheld, with slight revisions, that state’s anti-funeral picketing law. However, in December of that year WBC won a preliminary injunction prohibiting the state of Missouri from enforcing its law. In June 2009, the United States Supreme Court refused to hear Missouri’s appeal of the preliminary injunction.

In addition, in October 2007, a federal jury in Baltimore, Maryland, found members of the WBC guilty of violating a right to privacy and intentionally inflicting emotional distress against the family of Matthew Snyder, a Marine who was killed in Iraq in 2006. Snyder’s father, Albert, was the first individual to attempt such a lawsuit against the group and this was the first time the church had been held liable for its military funeral protests.


The jury initially ordered the WBC to pay nearly $11 million in damages, a sum members claimed was many times more than WBC’s net assets. In February 2008, a federal judge in Baltimore reduced the amount of the damages to $5 million, finding that the original punitive damages were excessive. In September 2009, a federal appeals court threw out the verdict entirely. It ruled that even though the group held up “utterly distasteful” signs at Snyder’s funeral, the signs commented on issues of “public concern” and were therefore constitutionally protected speech. In early October 2010, the Supreme Court heard Snyder’s appeal to determine whether the appeals court erred in overturning the jury’s award of damages.

On March 2, 2011 the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of the WBC, stressing that the group was protected by the First Amendment and its free speech rights to debate public issues.  The Court also noted that the WBC had obeyed directions from local officials, maintained a distance from the church where the Snyder funeral was held, and did not disrupt the funeral service. 


Meghan Phelps Roper

 Another case revolved around charges for flag desecration made against Shirley Phelps-Roper in Nebraska in June 2007. As is her custom, she had worn an American flag so that it trailed on the ground and also allowed her 10-year-old son to stand on an American flag while protesting at a soldier’s funeral in the state. In February 2009, a Nebraska state judge denied her challenge to the constitutionality of the flag desecration law. At the end of December 2009, Phelps-Roper filed a federal lawsuit against more than a dozen Nebraska state officials, including the governor, attorney general, and judges involved in the ongoing flag desecration case. Her lawsuit challenges a number of state and city laws, among them those that deal with flag desecration and funeral pickets. Phelps-Roper alleges that these laws infringed upon her right to free speech and are being applied in a discriminatory fashion.

In July 2010, Megan Phelps-Roper, Shirley’s daughter, filed a federal lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of Nebraska’s flag desecration law, saying that the law infringed on her freedom of speech. Two months later, in September, a federal judge overturned the Nebraska law. The judge said that the law could not be applied if Megan Phelps-Roper and other members of the WBC “otherwise acted peacefully while desecrating the American or Nebraska flag during their religiously motivated protests.” In addition, the judge ordered Nebraska state officials to pay $8,000 in attorney’s fees to Megan Phelps-Roper.

 About WBC

The Topeka, Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a small virulently homophobic, anti-Semitic hate group that regularly stages protests around the country, often several times a week. The group pickets institutions and individuals they think support homosexuality or otherwise subvert what they believe is God’s law.

Incorporated in 1967 as a not-for-profit organization, WBC considers itself an “Old School (or Primitive)” Baptist Church. WBC’s leader is Fred Phelps and several of his children and dozens of his grandchildren appear to constitute the majority of the group’s members. WBC has no official affiliation with mainstream Baptist organizations.

While WBC members have protested at Jewish institutions over the years, such institutions were not a major focus for the group until April 2009. Since then, WBC has targeted dozens of Jewish institutions around the country, from Israeli consulates to synagogues to Jewish community centers, distributing anti-Semitic fliers to announce planned protests at these sites. WBC has also been sending volumes (in some cases dozens over the course of a week) of faxes and emails with anti-Semitic and anti-gay messages to various Jewish institutions and individuals.

In addition, in April 2010, the group began mailing a virulently anti-Semitic DVD to Jewish organizations and leaders. The DVD also attacks President Obama, describing him as the anti-Christ, and is filled with anti-gay and anti-Catholic vitriol.
Other WBC targets include schools the group deems to be accepting of homosexuality; Catholic, Lutheran, and other Christian denominations that WBC feels are heretical; and funerals for people murdered or killed in accidents like plane crashes and for American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, a tactic the group started in 2005. Though the group's specific focus may shift over time, they believe that nearly all Americans and American institutions are “sinful,” so nearly any individual or organization can be targeted.

In fact, WBC members say that “God’s hatred is one of His holy attributes” and that their picketing is a form of preaching to a “doomed” country unable to hear their message in any other way.

Additionally, the group has tried to stage protests in foreign countries. In February 2009, the WBC announced plans to travel to Great Britain to protest the staging at a school there of “The Laramie Project,” a play about the vicious murder of a young gay man, Matthew Shepard, in 1998. (British government officials barred the group from entering the country.) The group made it to Canada in August 2008, where they picketed the funeral of a young man who was the victim of a brutal murder on a Greyhound bus, which was national news in that country. Authorities there reportedly tried to prevent the group from entering their country, but the WBC claims it was able to evade Canadian border patrol agents to stage the protest.

Homeless Veterans Funeral Program

Honored in Death for Their Service in Life

This morning, as every morning I glanced through the obituaries of the local newspaper. A large ad in the right corner of the second page caught my eye. There was a photo of an elderly homeless man in a wheelchair holding a sign: " I am cold + hungry. Please help. U.S. Veteran." I have seen this photo actually played out live a number of times on my daily walk through downtown Raleigh. Somewhere along the pedestrian mall there is always an elderly war veteran sitting in a wheelchair out to catch a bit of the sun's warmth holding  a small sign, and they always look slightly embarassed to be doing it. They are always greatful when given a few coins or a cup of coffee by passersby. They are neat and tidy, usually wearing a service or baseball cap representing the branch of the military they served. And they are dignified....but they are homeless, and many are alone with no family.

I have been homeless, and I can tell you personally that not everyone you see with a sign on the street is out to fleece the public. I have overheard frustrated conversations of homeless men on their way back to the shelter who have been to the library to use the computer and trying to navigate through the requirements of the Veterans Administration day after day. The system is not kind and is seemingly unconcerned in many instances. It's disheartening to me to know that these individuals have given of their time to serve in this country's military and have come to this end. Many are still proud to have served even while being passed over by the VA, and frankly, I don't know how they do it without becoming angry.

The VA provides a flag for the casket, a burial plot in a state or national military cemeteryry ( if available), a bronze marker, and a Presidential Certificate of Recognition. There is a monetary pay out, depending on the circumstances of the death, but it is scarcely enough to pay for a dignified burial. http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/topics/indigent/index.htm The VA does not endorse any other organization other than those provided by the government, but they do provide the link to the Diginity Homelss Veterans Memorial Program which was mentioned in the ad that caught my attention.

As a minister, I wave my fee when performing funerals for the indigent and homeless, including those of veterans. Especially those of veterans. It's my way of giving back a little to the community. Everyone deserves a proper burial with a prayer or two and a few words of rememberance to recognize they passed this way. I wasn't aware of this specific program, so I'm sharing the details here...

"You passed him every morning on your way to work.You gave him a few dollars when you had it to spare, especially when the message on his cardboard sign struck a nerve. And you often wondered how he arrived there. Lately, though, you've noticed him absent.

What you never knew is , before life delivered him to that corner, he was a defender of your liberties. He withstood the ravages of war, a hero, and decorated veteran of our armed forces. And while he may have died homeless and without family, he still received the honors he earned."

The ad went on to to say:" We pay tribute to our homeless veterans by providing free burial with full military honors to eligible veterans, so every hero is properly recognized."

The Dignity Memorial® Homeless Veterans Burial Program provides dignified burial services for eligible homeless and indigent veterans to ensure they receive the honors in death that their service in life merited.

The Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program has provided burial services for more than 600 homeless veterans since the program’s inception.

Founded upon the belief that every veteran deserves a dignified and honorable burial, the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program is a cooperative effort among Dignity Memorial funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, local medical examiners, coroners, veterans advocates and veterans organizations.

Through the program, homeless and indigent veterans who have no family to claim them are identified and provided with a proper military burial. Dignity Memorial providers supply preparation of the body, transportation, clothing, casket and coordination of the funeral service. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides eligible veterans with the opening and closing of the gravesite, a grave liner, a headstone or marker, a graveside ceremony and burial in a National Cemetery.

Currently available in 20 cities across the country, the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program has provided burial services for more than 600 homeless veterans since the program’s inception in 2000.

Fred Phelps beat his kids till they bled

Why am I suprised this is in the news today?   Yes, you should just read this article for yourself - instead of me giving my own slant on all of this.  *sigh*

Comments welcome, of course.

http://khdoc.blogspot.com/2011/03/son-of-anti-gay-pastor-fred-phelps_20.html

Blessings friends who help keep families safe from hate!
sincerely yours,
Sabrina

Next To The Last "Wind Talker" Dies

The Navaho Code Talkers, an elite group of Marines in WWII, were feactured in the Nicholas Cage movie " Wind Talkers". Lloyd Oliver was one of the Original 29 and helped develop the Code language. In his later years he was an expert jewelry maker.

CAMP VERDE, Ariz. (March 19, 2011)—Funeral services are Saturday on Arizona's Gila River reservation for Lloyd Oliver, a member of the elite group of Marines that developed a code based on their native language during World War II.
Oliver's death Wednesday means only one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers is still living.

Oliver's wife says he was 88, but military records put his age as 87.
Oliver's nephew, Lawrence, says his uncle died at a hospice center in the Phoenix suburb of Avondale, where he had been staying for about three weeks.
Hundreds of Navajos followed in the footsteps of the original 29, sending thousands of messages without error on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics and other communications critical to the war's ultimate outcome.
http://www.kwtx.com/nationalnews/headlines/Services_Are_Saturday_For_Member_Of_Original_WWII_Code_Talkers_118294859.htm


http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/03/19/Code-Talker-Lloyd-Oliver-dead-at-87/UPI-55821300573363/

http://www.navajocodetalkers.org/


Chester Nez, pictured below, is the sole surviving member of the Original 29 Code Talkers.

Oh, Goody....Hate Mail

So far the move from Facebook has been a positive one. People who are serious about finding a peaceful resolution to the hate and bigotry being spread by Westboro Baptist Church are coming to the new site. I know this because I check the views and stats and they far exceed the number of those actually signed up to " follow" the site. It's not a numbers game, and frankly, I never totally trusted the FB stats because- let's face it- we love to click the
" Like" button. It's human nature. People just passing through one time will click the "like" button on a page just to leave a little token nod that they were there. We had a healthy participation on FB and still do here at our new home base.

One of the things I appreciate about not being on FB is that there are a lot less flippant remarks being posted, and that we can moderate the comments-we post all comments except the ones that are truly irrelevant or obscene. We sincerely don't want to feed the trolls, and the new page has cut down on them considerably. This is serious, important work we do here at Wall of Peace. Patient as we are as moderators, we don't have the time or resources to deal with comments such as the following- and we're not going to waste your time with them either.  Here's an example of what we get:

"To all of these sites on Facebook and other blogs concerning Westboro: You are just showing yourselves to be lower than them by your godless threatening, swearing, useless words and self damaging remarks which Christ would never condone. The publicity you give them is worth plenty to them and you play right in their hands like a puppet. The hacktivist group, ‘Anonymous’, has done more damage than anyone ever could by taking their sites offline. Although illegal to do so, at least they are not advocating hateful harm or death towards others."

This is someone who simply spammed a bunch of sites and FB pages.( And whom, by the way, write in the same style of WBC, LOL.) It's obvious that they have never actually read anything on Wall of Peace Against Westboro Baptist Church. The moderator team spent literally hours deleting remarks threatening violence against the Phelp's family and WBC after the Supreme Court decision. That sort of commentary did not stay on the page as soon as one of the moderators read it.


As heinous and reprehensible as some of WBC's behavior has been-like announcing their planned protest of the funeral of the seven Mennonite children who died in a fire in Pennsylvania last week, we have never once surrendered to thoughts of retribution...not one time. Hate can summon the power of the world, but only peace can summon the power of good. It takes a tremendous belief in the goodness of people to refuse to hate those who behave in hateful ways. At Wall of Peace, we renew our mission everyday by refusing to sub- comb to that hate.~Kate

A Change In The Air....And New Updates to the Schedule

Each morning  my cup of coffee and I take a walk around the yard to see what new gift Nature has added during the night. There are forsythia popping out of the hedge and daffodils with orange sun-like centers bowing their heads in the soft breeze. A few brave blades of grass are daring to show and the quince has left a cascade of bright pink blossoms on it's branches. It's idyllic here in our little North Carolina backyard.

On the other side of the world, Japan is attempting to recover from a huge earthquake that keeps being upgraded ( it was a category 9 at last count) and a resulting tsunami that helped to literally move the shoreline 8 inches ( those numbers keep changing, too.) There are radiation leaks from two nuclear plants and the resources of the military are already over taxed. Meanwhile, Australia is still shoveling the mud out of Queensland and Christchurch, the Middle East is attempting not to be the hot spot for yet another civil war, and the US still has troops spread all over what has been termed The Cradle of Civilization.

....And the Westboro Baptist Church roadshow is still coming to a funeral, concert or school near you to dish up their special, home-grown brand of bigotry and hate-speak. You would think that with all the things going in their own neck of the woods- much less than what is happening globally- they would pause at least momentarily to lend a helping hand. If they actually took to heart the teachings of the genuine Christian Bible, they would have come across  verses that pretty much spell it out: "... for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."(Matthew 5:45 ), or my personal favorite,"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs of thistles?" (Matthew 7:16 ) These verses alone should make anyone professing to be Bible-believing stop and think and most good people who aren't to heed the commonsense advice contained in them.  It goes to show how simply arrogant the chief talking heads of WBC are and how confident they are in their own folly.

There are some new additions to the picket schedule in the outside left column on this page. Thanks to one of our members who sent them in, it's very much appreciated.
~ Kate

WBC To Protest Clouse Children's Funeral

Mennonites are very peaceful, but extremely private in their interaction with the world outside of their own community. I've contaced the Mennonite Service Committee and asked if counter protesting is appropriately in line with Mennonite teaching. They, in turn, are contacting the Bishops in that area to inquire. I should have an answer soon. While it's understandable that people are enraged as well as outraged, we caution you to act instead of react. Wall of Peace will honor the decision of the Mennonite Bishops in PA as soon as we get a reply.~Kate 2 p.m. 3/11/11.

UPDATE ON CLOUSE CHILDREN FUNERAL- 4 p.m.

According to the Mennonite Church Elders, visitation will be held at the reception center from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday and again on Tuesday 10 to 11 a.m .The actual service for the children will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Perry Mennonite Reception Center in Elliottsburg,365 Montour Road. The Elders are requesting that the family's dignity be honored at both the visitation and service,and that any outsiders who are gathering to counter protest* NOT ENGAGE WBC IN ANY MANNER*. The Perry County Sheriff's Department will be on the scene. NO MOTORCYCLES OR OTHER NOISE MAKING DEVICES. Please follow instructions as you form the Wall of Peace.~Kate

PS-An FYI folks: Some Mennonite congregations require head coverings such as hats for the gents and a scarf for the ladies for their services.

=============================================================================

TOPEKA, KANSAS

Showing no discernible limit to their insensitivity, and seemingly eager to puff out their chests in the wake of their recent Supreme Court victory, the Westboro Baptist Church issued a press release stating they plan to protest at the funeral of the seven Clouse children killed in a tragic fire in Perry County this week. The release is full of bluster over their Supreme Court victory and claims the fire was a result of God's wrath for Pennsylvania. After all, isn't that where the man who sued them for protesting his son's funeral and inititiated a landmark free speech case resides? The release is replete with misinformation about the circumstances of the fire, claiming Mr.Clouse was asleep in his truck during the fire.

Perry County District Attorney Charles Chenot has notified the State Police of Westboro's announcement and says there will be a police presence at the funerals. He also says he cannot fathom why the Westboro Baptists would want to protest. ."This is a family that's Christian in their beliefs and certainly shouldn't conflict with the beliefs of the Westboro Baptist Church," said Chenot.

The Clouse family is making funeral arrangements today for the seven children lost in the fire Tuesday night.

http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-westboro-protest-pe...%20http://www.fox43.com/news/wpmt-westboro-protest-perry-fire-funeral,0,5116994.story

Keep Believing

Welcoming is a continual process. Wall of Peace is a welcoming community. Composed of many political ideologies and faith traditions we gather for a single purpose: to rally around those being targeted by the hate-spewing, placard waving grandstanding of  the infamous Westboro Baptist Church.

We are not all Christians- many of us profess no religious or political affliction at all. Some of us consider ourselves spiritual and the definition of that is up to the individual;others will say they are patriotic.  Yet from time to time you are going to hear someone extolling the goodness of the God of their understanding (who may not be a mainstream deity) and that is fine by us here at Wall of Peace because we are not confined by labels.We quote from the Bible and many other sacred texts because we are not limited by the familiar and the comfortable. Praise Jesus but don't be upset if someone puts in a wyrd for Odin. It's just how we roll around here.Our hearts and minds can expand to encompass diversity- we are a community of tolerance and discernment (examination)- so much so that we can even find it theoretically possible to feel compassion toward those whom which we disagree...including WBC.

Yes, that's an outrageous concept, but not unheard of... we are bigger than our collective prejudices, we are wiser and stronger than ignorance and the weakness of negative speak. That doesn't mean that I can't say that I think Shirley-Phelps Roper is a dumb bitch if that says it all for  me, but it does mean that I'm going to try to find another avenue to express my gut reaction beyond just giving in to being crude about it.( And yes, I think she is one on that reptilian level of my reaction to her personality, and this one of the reasons we're on Blogger now instead of Facebook. Things can be framed in the form of personal expression here that could not be said in a public forum page.) I am not encouraging people to crude, base or rude.  Our common language has gotten ugly, but  ugly is now a part of the lexicon in use and cannot be denied. So if you 'accidentally let one slip' because you're aggravated or frustrated, we're all just going to smile and nod and move on unless it becomes truly obscene or slanderous.

We are not limited by political ideology or faith tradition, because we are a community founded on belief. We believe in the goodness and compassion of everyday people to do what is known to be right and we also know that what we believe to be right doesn't always happen because being right and being just are two different things...but we continue to believe in our hearts, we continue to share the knowledge that our fore-bearers and founding fathers knew...that as flawed as it is, our imperfect Union works through the Constitution. I look at America, well aware of the pro and cons, and the pros still make it the country I most want to stand up for in the arena of human rights and dignity.It is the country I believe is most just in the treatment of it's citizens compared to the rest of the world.It is certainly the country that allows those citizens the most freedoms which have been hard won through the personal sacrifice of our military and others willing to die because of their belief in us.

We've found a reliable source to provide us with the genuine WBC protest schedule, and as soon as they give us the updates, we'll provide them to you so that together we can get on with the great work that continues as a we build a Wall of Peace.

Peace and Grace to You,
Kate